Pet Loss

Custom Pet Memorial Votives

Products| 5 Comments

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This is a sponsored post

In addition to her custom pet portraits and other artwork, Bernadette Kazmarski has been crafting and designing unique gift items since childhood. About a decade ago, when she began selling gift items in addition to her portraits at cat shows and other events, she began with versions of the custom crochet items, keepsake boxes and tote bags she’d made for others to stock her table, then moved on to the gift items she saw in stores, like gift bags and tiles and garden flags with artwork, devising ways to imprint her artwork and create a durable handmade gift.Continue Reading

Coping with Pet Loss and Grief During the Holidays

Pet Loss| 64 Comments

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Next Friday will make the first anniversary of Ruby’s passing. This is not the first time I’ve experienced grief during the holidays: Buckley died the day after Thanksgiving  2008. As a result, this holiday season has been difficult, complicated as it is by so little about this season being even remotely normal. Last year, I canceled almost all holiday related activities because I knew Ruby didn’t have much time left, and I wanted to spend every minute I could with her. I figured I’d make up for it this year. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to spend this holiday season essentially hunkered down at home with Allegra, with very little outside contact except for an occasional walk or get together with a friend around a fire pit.Continue Reading

Review: Five Trees for Mina

Books| 1 Comment

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Children often experience death and grief for the first time when a beloved pet dies. Helping children through pet loss can be challenging for parents who are also coping with their own reaction to the loss. In Five Trees for Mina, Tony Lovitt sets out to help young readers and their parents deal with losing a pet.Continue Reading

Available for Pre-Order Now: P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna

Books| 3 Comments

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I’ve been excited about P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna since I first heard about this first illustrated gift book for adults who are grieving the loss of cat. Really helpful books about pet loss are few and far between. While there are plenty of books and websites out there that offer support, ultimately, grief is a solitary journey. No book or website can do it for you.Continue Reading

How to Cope If Your Pet Dies During the Pandemic

Pet Loss| 55 Comments

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Guest post by Sarah Chauncey

This is the second post in a three-part series. In the first post, l looked at how veterinarians are handling euthanasia during COVID-19.

Losing a beloved companion is a difficult experience at any time, but several factors come together to make it particularly devastating during COVID-19. From veterinarians handling euthanasias differently than usual to physical distancing requirements that keep us from hugging each other, circumstances are coming together that intensify the isolation many guardians feel after a loss even under normal circumstances. In addition, there is so much grief and loss in the world right now, and we’re all feeling some of that—loss of routine and familiarity, economic uncertainty, concern about loved ones, and of course, for many people, the loss of human loved ones to this awful disease. This collective grief weighs heavily on all of us and can make grieving the loss of a pet during COVID-19 even more challenging.Continue Reading

When Grief Goes Viral: How COVID-19 Affects Those Who Lost Cats to FIP

Feline Health, Pet Loss| 6 Comments

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Guest post by Ingrid R. Niesman, MS PhD

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) appears out of nowhere and leaves families heartbroken and bewildered. Cats affected are typically kittens less than a year old or young cats just gaining a foothold on maturity.

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the relentless mention of the word “coronavirus” in the media can be emotionally challenging for those who lost a cat to FIP.Continue Reading